The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-10-15
A cIpnEn
The Discovery Of the Authorship OF
the "Iicautifui SNOW

wv " |
Frnm the Nashville banner.
Mr.. I~gnatius Donnclly's laborod effort
Ia prove by means Of a cipher that the
dramas Of William Shakespeare were writ
ten by Lord Francis Bacon has excited
much comment and criticism in the liter
airy world, and has attracted general at,cn-
ton Ia the subject OF ciphcrS and cryptic
writings. II is hardly necessary, there
fore, that We should give ut length the
reasons that have induced us 10 pursue
the investigation Of another cipher, with u
result perhaps not less remarkable. To
avoid making q too long article, We shall
not explain the causes which for years
have led us to suspect that the poem, ''rhc
Beautiful Snow, ~ concerning the author
ship Of which there has been 40 much
discussion-wus written by DIR. Il. L. &.
White, of Lebanon, but We will proceed
ut Oncc 10 demonstrate the fact.
Readers Of the Lebanon Herald all
know that DIR. White has, as l,,con had, u
| cipher. This ciphW, composed of numer-
| ais, is used by DIR. White ostensibly Ia
| indicate the number OF times advertise.
mcnts are 10 be inserted in his paper. In
/ stead OF such signs az 4tlcIp or cowtd,
etc, We find in the Herald figures like
these: 1927, J6l7, etc. W. have long sns-
pccted that this cipher had a deeper six.
nifcanre than that of u mere method OF
informing the foreman Of n composing
room, and q close examination will prove
that our suspicious were well founded.
Taking up u copy Of the Lebanon Her.
aid, W. find, under the advertisement Of
the Southern literary bureau, Of which
Dr. White is director, these figures 2ls.
Assuming that these figures represent let
tiers of the alphabet numbered In their
regular order, we place the Letters repre-
scented ~ follows: Bah" Clearly, the
ingenious White intended to bluff at the
outset the eager inquirer into the secrets
Of his cipher. But We ARE not 10 be bluilcd
in that way. by taking the figures given
separately ~ in combination by n process
Of addition and subtraction, We git 2-b-l.
2~l-2O-g-G2l.l2. Taking the letters repre-
scented 10y these figures in the numbered
alphabet We get tile word beautiful To
what can this word refer? Surely not Ia
nr. White. That would he too great n
strctcho IL the imagination. But DIR. Whites
name follows the figures 2lS under the
iii.'mry hurcan advertisement. What is
the special significance 81 this arrange.
ment? The answer " obvious. "Whito
rs snow Is a world used expression.
Clearly, the cryptic meaning revealed j,
"bcautiful snow But, for fear this may
he considered restrained conclusion, let as
look further into the cipher.
by taking MI the cipher numbers which
appear In the issue 81 the Herald bciOr,
us, and making u systematic arrangement
aud arithmctical rcductiOn-a dcmOnstra
ton 81 which would take mp more space
than We can devote 10 this articlc-w'
reach the following results.
10 = - II
/ > . q sS
Now, II We take the letters from the al
phabct represented by the top number
We have, hiswork, or, dividing then
into words, "Ilis work" But the lowe
numbers will not spell any words, aud "
must, therefore, look elsewhere than I
the numbered alphabet for their meaning
We refer 10 the poem and readily find th
, key 10 the mystery. Two stanzas Of th
l poem will suffice:
5 oh, the snow. the beauuful snowi
Fiiling the earth and sky below;
= over The h0usei1Ja, over the street,
. Over the heads " people you meet,
. Flirting.
sklmmlne along.
Beautiful ,nowi II ran do 10 wrong.
u flying 10 hiss q fair ladyis cheek.
1 y $50 NNA ~ NI NA = HH@
= BEAUTIFUL snow from The heaven hboye,
Pure o. ~ angel, gentle AZ love.
/ Oh, the snow. the beautiful snowi
How the fakes gather aud laugh a. they 70
whirling about In n maddcning funl
Y II plays In ~ glcc with every QUO.
Chasing,
Laughing,
" Uufuing by,
IA IL lights on the face and II fpartlcn the eye
- And the dogs, with n lark and a bound,
Jl snap NJ the crystals that eddy around.
The town IL alive aud it, heart IN n glow,
To welcome the coming o. the beautiful sno
A Applying tho figures given above
Is these stann,s, and assuming that the d
In figures, which spell, as we have see
ellis Work" also stand each for n line
O. poetry, and that each Of the figures rep
sents q letter In the line indicated by 4
m corresponding top figure, We make q gra
n fying discovery. To demonstrate. iii
w the eighth line, and the first letter Is
,s the ninth line, and the eighth letter Is
er the nineteenth line, and the ninth lett
"A is II; and 10 On, using all the numbe
and We spell out the name Bob White
he We get from this cipher, therefore, 'B
= Nykss. M. kg.tL n..t a.. La. Al